Photo used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, May 6
Himachal Pradesh High court on Wednesday directed the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Salooni, in Chamba district to ensure that no person who is not ordinarily residing in Gram Panchayat Sanghani is allowed to cast vote in the ongoing Panchayat elections.
The court also made it clear that the post of Gram Panchayat Pradhan reserved for Scheduled Tribe (Female) category would remain unchanged.
The directions were passed by a division bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma while hearing CWP No. 6587 of 2026 titled Hem Raj Chandel versus State of H.P. and others on May 6, 2026.
During the hearing, the petitioner alleged that names of several persons who were not ordinary residents of Gram Panchayat Sanghani, Tehsil Salooni, District Chamba, had been included in the voter list.
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The court observed that objections regarding inclusion of such names had already been submitted before the SDM Salooni on March 17, 2026, following which the matter was referred to Electoral Registration Officers in Punjab districts including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the action taken by the authorities, the bench observed that the SDM should have independently verified the factual position through local field staff including Patwari, Kanungo, Panchayat Secretary and Booth Level Officers regarding the ordinary place of residence of the disputed voters.
The court directed the SDM Salooni to complete the verification exercise within three to four days and take necessary action, including revision of the electoral roll if required, to prevent ineligible persons from voting.
The Election Commission informed the court that even if all disputed voters were excluded from the electoral roll, the Scheduled Tribe population in the Panchayat would still remain above five per cent. Therefore, the reservation status of the Pradhan post as Scheduled Tribe (Female) would continue unchanged.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing on May 11, 2026.
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